“How came I here?” he asked in surprise. “What has happened to me?”
“You fainted,” said Unorna quietly. “You remember that you were very
tired after your journey. The walk was too much for you. We will take
you home.”
“Yes--yes--I must have fainted. Forgive me--it comes over me sometimes.”
He evidently had complete control of his faculties at the present
moment, when he glanced curiously from the one to the other of his two
companions, as they all three began to walk towards the gate. Unorna
avoided his eyes, and seemed to be looking at the irregular slabs they
passed on their way.
The Wanderer had intended to free himself from her as soon as Kafka
regained his senses, but he had not been prepared for such a sudden
change. He saw, now, that he could not exchange a word with her without
exciting the man’s suspicion, and he was by no means sure that the first
emotion might not produce a sudden and dangerous effect. He did not even
know how great the change might be, which Unorna’s words had brought
about. That Kafka had forgotten at once his own conduct and the fearful
vision which Unorna had imposed upon him was clear, but it did not
follow that he had ceased to love her. Indeed, to one only partially
acquainted with the laws which govern hypnotics, such a transition
seemed very far removed from possibility. He who in one moment had
himself been made to forget utterly the dominant passion and love of his
life, was so completely ignorant of the fact that he could not believe
such a thing possible in any case whatsoever.
In the dilemma in which he found himself there was nothing to be done
but to be guided by circumstances. He was not willing to leave Kafka
alone with the woman who hated him, and he saw no means of escaping her
society so long as she chose to impose it upon them both. He supposed,
too, that Unorna realized this as well as he did, and he tried to be
prepared for all events by revolving all the possibilities in his mind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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